Academic Senate Fills Posts, Hears of High-Tech Collaborations

By Paul Mueller I December 5, 2005

During the Academic Senate's second meeting of the 2005-06 academic year on Tuesday, the senators appointed members to key committees, heard an update on university issues from Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, and learned of ongoing high-tech collaborations from Larry Smarr of Calit2.

Smarr's presentation was the first in a series of talks initiated by Senate Chair Jean-Bernard Minster to "bring spice to somewhat dry meetings." Future guest speakers to the Academic Senate will include Brian E. C. Schottlaender, university librarian; Fran Berman, director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center; and Stacie Spector, associate vice chancellor of University Communications.

Smarr described the collaborative work going on among Calit2, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and J. Craig Venter, whose organization spearheaded the human genome project. The three high-tech partners are working on prototype digital environmental-research systems and other projects, building on UCSD capabilities already in place - and rapidly expanding - at Calit2, Scripps, and the San Diego Supercomputer Center.

"UCSD is one of the international leaders in these kinds of scientific connections," said Smarr, "moving extremely large amounts of information between research labs." He noted that the team's work supports the interdisciplinary, innovative, and international model for meeting challenges articulated by Chancellor Fox.

The chancellor also addressed the senate, updating the group on the university's progress in the re-accreditation process, describing the new "UCSD Partnership with Mexico" and its goals, reporting on the latest figures in the capital campaign -- $789 million to date towards the billion-dollar target - and expressing optimism that recent education-funding agreements would represent "floors, and not ceilings."

Chair Minster then turned to formal senate business, reported on taskforces on Katrina follow-up relief and diversity, and discussed the General Assembly's recent resolutions about university compensation. The assembly agreed that most salaries within the University of California system are below market, and, therefore, they support increases - using a more transparent process. The assembly opposed using private funds to augment salaries exceeding $350,000.

Minster also asked the senate to approve the nominations of C. Anne Rearden, professor of pathology, and Robert H. Tukey, professor of pharmacology and chemistry/biochemistry, to serve on the Committee of Committees. He also asked the senate to appoint Edwin L. Harkins, professor of music, to serve a partial term on the same committee during a colleague's absence. All nominations were approved.

The Academic Senate will next hold its next meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006, in Garren Auditorium in the Basic Sciences Building on campus.